Melissa and Rob in New Brunswick, NJ

Nine years after they met outside a dorm at New Jersey's Rutgers University, Melissa received a not-so-surprising proposal from her boyfriend Rob—after she walked in on him showing his mother the ring he planned to give her. Still, Rob was determined to go through with his plan. His first move: to take Melissa back to the dorm where they first met. "I knew what he was going to do and it felt so funny to pretend we both didn't know what was happening!" she laughs. Rob popped the question on the dorm's steps, under twinkling lights on Christmas Eve, and the couple decided on a summer event.

Wedding programs were tied with bright orange and fuchsia raffia, colors used throughout the wedding decor, from the ceremony programs and bridal bouquet to the reception centerpieces and wedding cake.

The wedding party's youngest members precede the bride down the aisle. Rain foiled the couple's intentions to marry outdoors; when the storm persisted, they moved their 125 guests into the reception tent and exchanged their vows on the dance floor.